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Cooking in front of judges at a recent competition was "nerve-racking" for Smyrna High student Nathan Velez.

He and classmate Johnathan Fields captured first place in the Al Dente pasta-cooking competition, held Feb. 9 at Lebanon High. Velez and Fields prepared a roasted tomato pomadoro dish. Classmates Zack Knowles and Chance Mays finished third with their arrabbiata and pasta.

All are third-year culinary students under Alberto Villalobos, now in his second year of teaching culinary arts at Smyrna High. ...